Indicator attachment for fire-bucket supports.



J. 0. CHARPENTIER. INDICATOR ATTACHMENT FOR FIRE BUCKET SUPPGRTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 22, I915- Pa-tented July 18, 1916.

E 7, RN EYE JOSEPH 0. CHARPENTIER, or conconn, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

INDICATOR ATTACHMENT FOR FIRE-BUCKET sorroars;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 22, 1915. serial No. 68,250.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH O. CHARPEN- TIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Concord, in the county of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire, have invented new and useful Improvements in Indicator Attachment's for Fire-Bucket Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention'has for its object to provide means for indicating to an observer, standing on thefi'oor of- 'an apartment, the quantity of water in a fire bucket hung from an elevated support and located higher than the observers head. e

It is customary in 'ma'chine shops and other establishments to hang fire buckets from supporting hooks which are elevated to locate the buckets out of the way above the heads of the occupants. The quantity of water in a fire bucket thus located cannot be easily determined by a person standing on the floor.

Hooks adapted to be attached to elevated supports and fire buckets adapted to be hung thereon are standard parts of the equipment of various establishments.

My invention as here illustrated is embodied in an attachmentcomprising a guide having means whereby it may be quickly and firmly securedto an ordinary hook of standard form without change or modification of the hook, the guide when thus secured standing'vertically over the bottom of a bucket hung from thehook without engagement with the bucket. and a float adapted to slide on the guide and to be supported'by water in the -bucket, so that the projection of the float above the bucket indicates to an ob server on the floor the quantity of water in the bucket.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure 1 represents a perspective view showing a hook and a bucket, both of standard form. and an indicating attachment embodying my inven= tion secured to the hook; Fig. 2 represents a sectional view of the attachment.

The same reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all the views.

In the drawings. 12 represents a support fora fire bucket 13, said support as here shown being a hook having a bail-engaging portion formed to engage the hail of a bucket, a tapered shank portion. and a base portion adapted to be secured or bolted to a wall.

My improved attachment includes a'guide 14 hav ng support-engaging means adapting the gulde to be rigidly supported in a vertical posltion with its upper portion above the bucket-containing space and its lower portlon within said space and above the bottom of the bucket, and a float 15 adapted to slide vertically on the guide and to be supported by water in the bucket. I prefer to embody the support-engaging means in an angular arm on the upper end of the guide, said arm including a horizontal portion 16 and a vertical portion 17, theguide and arm being preferably formed by bending a fiatsided metal strip as shown by the drawings.

The Vertical arm portion 17 has an eye 19 formed to have a close driving fit on the tapered shank portion of the hook 12, said eye being so formed that it is capable, by suitable manipulation, of sliding along the curved bail-engaging portion and onto the shankportion of the'hook. The eye 19 may Patented July 18,1916.

sheet metal tube closed at its lower end by a bottom 21, and having at its upper end a fixed head 22 containing a slot 23 loosely surrounding the guide 1 The guide may be provided with scale marks, as shown by Fig. 1, cooperating with the head 22 in indicating the distance between'the head and the ends of the guide. The head is preferably inclined relatively to the guide and the body of the float, so that the intersection of the head and guide may be readily observed by a person. looking upwardly from a point at one side of the bucket. runner 25. preferably formed as a flattened tube loosely surrounding the guide and enabling the float to slide freely on the guide without binding thereon. The guide is providedat its lowerend with a'stop preferably formed by prongs 26 integral with and The head is provided witha prongs 26. WVhe'n the bucket is replaced after being charged with water, the float is raised by the water to an operative height determined by the height of the water.

It will now be seen that the described attachment, may be quickly and conveniently engaged with a bucket support in position to indicate the quantity of water therein, no change or adaptation of the support and no connection between the attachment and the bucket being required.

The buoyancy and length of the float are preferably such that when the bucket is properly filled the head of the float will project considerably above the rim of the bucket.

The float may be provided with an inscription, such as iiVaterVianted, so arranged that when "he contents of the bucket require replenishmentthe inscription will be at or near the rim of the'bucket.

Having described my invention, I'claim: 1. An indicator for fire buckets, comprising a guide having support-engaging means adapted to rigidly hold the guide in a vertical position with its upperf portion above a bucket-containing space and its lower portion within said space, and a float adapted to slide vertically on said guide and a to be supported by water in a bucket occupying said space, the guide being provided with a stop limiting downward movement of the float thereon, whereby, when the bucket is removed, the float is supported independently in position to be raised by water in a replaced bucket.

2. An indicator attachment comprising a guide having means for engaging the shank portion of a bucket-supporting hook, the engagement of said means and shank rigidly supporting the guide in a vertical position 'with its upper portion above-the bucketcontaining space below said hook and its lower portion within said space, and a float adapted to slide vertically on said guide and to be supported by water in said bucket, the

guide being provided with a stop whereby,

flopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing Washington, D. 0.

tachably engaging the tapering shank po'rtion of a bucket-supporting hook, said means including an eye formed to have a driving fit on said shank portion, the guide being rigidly supported independently of the bucket by the engagement of said means and shank with its upper portion above the bucketscontaining space'below said hook, and its lower portion within said space, and a float adapted to slide vertically on said guide and to be supported by water in said bucket, the guide being provided with a stop whereby, when the bucket is removed, the float is supported independently in position to be raised by water in a replaced bucket. 4.- An indicator attachment comprising a guide having means for engaging a bucket support, and adapted to stand vertically over the bottom of a bucket hung on said support, and a float adapted to slide vertically on said guide and to be supported by water in said bucket, said float being provided with a slotted head constituting an indicating member cotiperating with the guide and inclined relatively to the guide to enable the indication to be read from a lower point.

5. An indicator attachment comprising a guide having means for engaging a bucket support, and adapted to stand vertically over the bottom of a bucket hung on said support, and a float adapted to slide vertically on said guide and to be supported by water in said bucket, said float being provided with a slotted head constituting as indicating member codperating with the guide, and the guide being provided with a stop within the float to prevent separation of the float from the guide.

- In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature. I

JOSEPH O. CHARPENTIER.

the Commissioner of li'atents, 

